How to retain the new customers you’ve acquired during the holidays

The holidays have come and gone, the lights and sparkle have been taken down. But how do you keep the sparkle in your customers’ inboxes alive for the year to come?

By using email automation to retain the customers you’ve just acquired, you can start targeting a larger database during the next holiday season. And you can get additional revenue during the year to come too! Since it costs 6-7 times more to acquire a new customer than to retain an existing one, email automation for retention is worth your time.

What do you gain by implementing an automated retention strategy?

Build a relationship with customers

Encourage interaction with your brand

Tailor interactions through the use of behavioral data

Reignite brand awareness with lapsed customers

What type of automated programs could help you retain newly-acquired customers?

An absolute must-have is a welcome program. Why? After sign-up is when your customers and prospects are most engaged with your brand and they’re actually expecting you to send them an email.

Asking for too much information upfront could deter subscribers from giving you the data. Use an automated progressive profiling program that incentivises and rewards customers for telling you more about them.

When customers spend time or money with your brand, make sure you send them a thank you email. This should be more a receipt though! Focus on the message you’re trying to convey, and don’t forget the 80/20 rule: 80% transactional, 20% promotional content.

Increase revenue by using upsell and cross-sell programs. Why? The customer might not have stumbled upon the complementary product on their own, or they might not have realised they needed it at the time. They just need a little nudge.

Do you sell something that can be replenished or renewed, like ink cartridges or magazines? Similar to birthday emails, product replenishment and renewal programs work like a charm. The key to their success is timing: get it right and it will be too hard for your customers to resist.

Sometimes people grow apart and this happens with email subscriptions too. Before you say goodbye, put inactive contacts through a re-engagement program to see if they really don’t want to hear from you anymore. Inactive contacts are those who haven’t engaged in a while, not the ones who unsubscribed. Don’t be afraid to let them go – if these contacts are not opening your emails and interacting with them, they’re only costing your business money.

This is just the beginning

Whether you feel ready to get started and you need some tips and examples to make your programs the best they can be, the Email Automation and 1:1 Marketing guide can give you all you need. Packed with tips to help you get the best results and lots of success stories you can learn from.